Russian authorities have confirmed that Australian national Kallen Benjamin Lewis has been sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
According to the Russian embassy in Australia, a court found Lewis guilty based on evidence gathered by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. He was accused of violating Russia’s criminal code by acting as a mercenary in an armed conflict.
Lewis is believed to have been in Ukraine since 2022. Court documents state that in October 2023 he joined a paramilitary unit within the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of Ukraine’s armed forces, where he received training, weapons, ammunition, and a uniform.
The court determined that while in the Donetsk region, Lewis was paid to participate in combat operations against Russian troops. He was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security prison and placed on an international wanted list.
Russia has issued similar in absentia convictions against other foreign fighters, including a British man who was sentenced last week to six years in prison for joining Ukrainian forces.
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